Hilsa ban concludes tonight, raising hopes for Chandpur fishers

Over 50,000 fishermen in Chandpur are gearing up to return to the Padma and Meghna rivers with their boats and nets as the government’s 22-day ban on catching mother hilsa comes to an end at midnight on Thursday (October 29).

The ban, implemented to ensure the safe breeding of mother hilsa, began on October 7 across six sanctuaries in the country, prohibiting the catching, transport, storage, marketing, and purchase of fish along a roughly 70-kilometer stretch of the Padma and Meghna rivers in Chandpur, while law enforcement agencies including naval police, coast guard, navy, and fisheries departments conducted rigorous drives.

The extended prohibition left many fishermen in severe financial distress, with many noting that the government-allocated rice assistance was insufficient to cover household expenses, compounded by expenditures of up to Tk 1.5 to Tk 2 million for boat and net repairs that have left them vulnerable to new debts and potential losses if hilsa yields fall short.

Some fishermen alleged that certain corrupt individuals linked to the enforcement drives allowed fishermen to enter the rivers in exchange for bribes, questioning the absolute success of the campaign, though law enforcement has disputed these claims.

Mohammad Azamgir Hossain, officer-in-charge of Chandpur Naval Police Station, dismissed the allegations as rumors spread by individuals who repeatedly attempted to enter the river unlawfully, maintaining that the operation was a success.

District Fisheries Officer Mohammad Fakhrul Islam echoed the sentiment regarding the campaign's success, though he expressed concern over the presence of small hilsa and stressed the need for strict measures to protect hilsa production, control river pollution, and curb the proliferation of invasive sucker fish.

District Commissioner Ahmed Ziaur noted that the administration made relentless efforts with the active participation of the fisheries department, district police, naval police, coast guard, navy, local political leaders, and the public to successfully generate mass awareness for mother hilsa conservation.

According to data from the fisheries department and law enforcement, the 22-day drive resulted in the detention of over 500 fishermen who faced varying terms of imprisonment and fines, alongside the seizure of massive quantities of mother hilsa, hundreds of thousands of meters of current nets, and fishing boats, with naval police filing 105 fisheries cases and seizing 1,300 kilograms of hilsa alongside illegal nets.

Experts and locals emphasize that seasonal bans alone are insufficient to boost hilsa production, calling instead for year-round protection of river sanctuaries, prevention of illegal net usage, halting fry (jatka) destruction, regular anti-pollution drives, and adequate government support for genuine fishermen during restriction periods.

With the midnight deadline approaching, fishermen await the return to the rivers, hopeful that the preservation efforts will translate into abundant catches to ease their financial hardships and restore livelihood activity along the banks of the Padma and Meghna.

-EM